Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is officially a carmaker now. According to CarNewsChina, the company launched an assembly complex in Beijing this weekend to produce the world’s first Xiaomi electric car. It remains unannounced, but we have spy pics and rumored specs to share with you.
The IT giant is currently hiring personnel, and sources say it will not need many workers: around 100 should be enough. The factory will reportedly be producing only around 50 cars per day at first, likely to debug and streamline all the processes involved.
Full-scale production could begin by late 2023, sources say. To achieve this, Xiaomi will have to obtain a certificate from the Ministry of Industry and IT of China licensing its first production car, as well as a license for this new business direction. The corporation hopes to get both papers signed this autumn, insiders say, greenlighting it the way towards producing up to 150,000 units per year.
Other than that, the details about the marque’s first EV are scarce. You may review the spy photos below and choose whether to believe the report that the car spotted on the streets was marked as having 101 kWh of battery capacity and 800 km (497 miles) of range. Other rumors are saying the first Xiaomi on four wheels will get a state-of-the-art multimedia system and a wide range of modern driving assists.